History of Flight
On March 29, 2023, about 1853 central daylight time, a Zenith CH-701 airplane, registration N43414, was destroyed when it struck terrain near Oxford, Mississippi. The pilot sustained fatal injuries, and the passenger suffered serious injuries. The flight was conducted as a personal flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
Airport surveillance video from the New Albany/Union County Airport (M72) showed the airplane departing around 1820. Subsequent review indicated the airplane did not return. Two friends of the pilot observed the airplane fly over their location that evening, though neither could specify the exact time. One friend sent a text message to the pilot about 2050 and attempted to call him four times the following day without response. On the day after the accident, local authorities were notified after the pilot's daughter had not heard from him. A search based on the pilot's cell phone location began, and the wreckage was found about 2215.
Friends noted the pilot typically flew at low altitudes and followed the same route; they could see him and the passenger as they flew over. One friend mentioned the pilot usually flew earlier in the day, making an evening flight unusual.
GPS data from a flight planning application on the pilot's tablet revealed the aircraft departed M72 around 1821, proceeding south then southwest. The pilot appeared to circle his friends about 1838. Around 1849, approximately 16 miles southwest of the airport, the pilot reversed course heading north then northeast, generally toward the departure airport. At about 1852:50, the airplane entered a right turn, with the final data point recorded at 1853:01, about one-third mile north of the accident site.
The surviving passenger was unable to provide any account of the accident circumstances.
Personnel Information
The pilot did not hold a current airman medical certificate. However, the accident airplane met light sport airplane requirements, and operating such an aircraft does not require a medical certificate if the pilot holds a valid state driver's license and complies with applicable regulations.
Aircraft Information
Maintenance records were not available during the investigation. The pilot's logbook contained notebook pages with dates and airplane times. An entry marked "9-11" included adjacent entries of "430.8" and "annual insp." The subsequent entry noted "12-17-21," consistent with the preceding entry being from September 11, 2021. The final entry of "3-28" included "726.8" and appeared to correspond to 2023. A note card titled "oil change" listed a final entry of "3-10-23" with the notation "708.0." The airplane's Hobbs meter indicated 748.9 hours at the accident site.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The debris path was consistent with the airplane descending into trees and impacting terrain about one-third mile south of the final GPS point. Trees in the area were estimated at 75 feet tall, with freshly broken branches at the site. The main wreckage comprised the fuselage, right wing, empennage, and engine. The left wing and landing gear had separated and were suspended in a tree about 15 feet from the main wreckage at approximately 50 feet above ground level.
On-scene examination of the airframe revealed no evidence of in-flight structural failure or preimpact flight control anomalies. Postrecovery engine examination found no anomalies that would have prevented producing rated power, though testing showed both ignition modules misfired when operating in a narrow range around 4,000 rpm.
Medical and Pathological Information
The 67-year-old pilot's last aviation medical examination was on January 29, 2019, at which time he reported no medication use and a history of high blood pressure controlled without medication. He was issued a third-class medical certificate with a limitation to wear corrective lenses for near and distant vision. That certificate expired, and the pilot did not hold active FAA medical certification at the time of the accident.
An autopsy performed by the Mississippi State Medical Examiner's Office listed the cause of death as multiple injuries and the manner as accident. The pilot's left anterior descending coronary artery was 75% narrowed by calcified plaque. No other significant natural disease was identified.
Toxicological testing detected ethanol at 0.012 g/dL and n-propanol in cavity blood, but ethanol and n-propanol were not found in vitreous fluid. Salicylic acid was present in cavity blood but not in liver tissue. Ethanol is the intoxicating alcohol found in beverages and can impair judgment and performance, with FAA regulations prohibiting flying with a blood ethanol level of 0.04 g/dL or greater. Ethanol can also be produced postmortem by microbial activity; vitreous fluid is typically more protected from such production. N-propanol is another alcohol that can be produced postmortem and may indicate microbial activity. Salicylic acid, a metabolite of aspirin, is not generally considered impairing.